Tonsilotome.



No. 678,333, Patented July 9, NOT.

6. ERMULD.

TONSILOTOME.

lknnlication filed Dec. 20, 1900.)

(No Model.) -2 shee-ts shaet 2.

ammunimums versus :0. PNO'YO-UTNQ. wnsmuqton. u. c,

side view of the stationary member.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

GEORGE ERMOLD, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE GEORGE ERMOLDCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TONSILOTOME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,333, dated July 9,1901.

Application filed December 20, 1900. Serial No. 40,484. (No modelJ Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ERMOLD, a citizen of the United States,residing in Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tonsilotomes, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in tonsilotomes, and moreespecially to tonsilotomes of the type illustrated, for example, in thepatent granted to me February 19, 1895, No. 534,433.

The objects of the invention are to provide means for rendering theinclined lug by which the rising of the fork from the cutters during itsadvance is controlled detachable and to provide an improved lockingdevice for securing the parts of the instrument in position. Theseobjects are attained by locating the inclined lug upon a member separateand detachable from the cutting members, which member may also'serve asalocking member.

The invention consists in the combination, with the stationary andmovable cutting members and fork guided thereon, of means for lockingthe members together and a detachable member pivoted at one end to saidstationary member and having at its opposite end an inclined lug locatedto guide the fork during its advance.

The invention consists, further, in certain other combinations of parts,which will be fully described hereinafter and finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the instrumentwith the fork retracted. Fig. 2 is a side view with the parts in thesame position. Fig. 3 is a side view with ,the fork advanced. Fig. 4 isa plan view of the stationary and movable cutting members, the forkhaving been removed. Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively a plan and Fig. 7

is a plan of the movable member. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectionthrough the forward end of the instrument with the fork advanced. Fig. 9is a section'on line 9 9, Fig. 2;and Fig. 10 is a perspective view ofthe detachable locking member.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The cutting member A, which as to the fork O and other cutting member Bis sta tionary, is longer than the movable member B and is provided atone end with a loop-shaped cutter aand at the opposite bentup end a witha recess a for the fork. The movable cutting member B is provided at oneend with a cutter b of shape similar to cutter a and at its oppositebent-up end I) with a recess b for the fork and with handles b Themember B also carries a recessed guidelug b for the fork. The twomembers are retained in operative position by means of a locking memberD.

When the member B is placed upon the member A, aheaded stud d on thelatter projects upwardly through a slot 19 extending back from thecutter b. The locking member D is preferably struck up from a singlepiece of metal and is provided at one end with two recesses d d and witha contraction d between them. The larger recess (1 is of such size as topass over the head of the stud d. The locking member is placed first inposition indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4 and is y then pulled inthe-direction of its length, whereby the contraction (1 passes thecontracted shank e of the stud, the shank 6 being now located in recess01*. The shank e is made of less width longitudinally of the member Athan laterally of the same, but

the lateral width is nevertheless not so great as that of the head ofthe stud. The recess (1 is of less width than the head of the stud, yetof such shape and size as to permit turning the locking member when thelatter is engaged with the stud, as described, into positionlongitudinally of the'cutting members A and B. The shape of the shank eis indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5 and its lateral width in-Fig. 9.The width of the contraction cl is, however, less than the lateral widthof the shank e. Hence when the member is turned longitudinally of thecutting members said member D cannot itself move longitudinally, but islocked to the stationary member A. The member Dis provided at itsforward end with a downwardly-projecting lug d and with arearwardly-inclined downwardly-projecting lug d. When swinging thelocking member upon the stud d from its position at right angles to themembers A and B into line therewith, it is necessary to lift the forwardend of the member D, so as to raise these lugs over the member B. Themember D is made of steel or other material having spring tensionsufficient to permit this. The lugs (Z and d enter the slot 11 In orderto further insure against any longitudinal movement of the member Drelatively to the member A due to wear of the shank c, it is preferableto seat the lower end of the lug d in a recess a, of said member A. Thelower portion of the stud d at d is preferably made of approximately thesame size as the slot If, so as to serve for guiding the cutting membersduring their longitudinal movement. A guide-pin a enters a correspondingslot b of the member B, and a stop-pin a enters a corresponding hole aof the stationary member.

The fork G is provided at is forked end with an adjusting-screw c orother downwardly-extending projection, either adjustable or made as apart of the fork, and at its opposite end with a handle 0 and at pointsin its length corresponding to the distance of the ends a' b and lug bfrom each other with recesses c and ata point between the rearmostrecesses and handle 0' with a stop-screw 0 The two cutting membershaving been connected in the manner described, the fork is connectedtherewith by unscrewing the stop-screw 0 until it does not project fromthe bottom of the fork and seating the recessed portions 0 in therecesses 032 If and of the lug 12 The fork is then advanced until thestop-screw passes to the opposite side of the bent end ct, when it isscrewed down, so that its lower end projects and prevents withdrawal ofthe fork or detachment of the same from the cutting members, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

The operation of the instrument is as follows: The thumb of the surgeonbeing placed in handle 0 and a finger in each of the handles b thecutters,which are in register, Figs. 1 and 2, are placed so that thetonsil projects upward through the same, and the fork is moved forwardinto the position shown in Fig. 3, the set-screw 0 moving in the slot dof the member D and in the slot b By this movement of the fork it iscaused to enter the tonsil and simultaneously draw the same upwardthrough the cutters by the riding of the set-screw or other projectionof the fork up the inclined lug d". The portion of the member D betweenthe lugs d d is preferably Iiattened, so as to afford a support for thescrew. The fork is provided at a point back of the bent end I) with anupwardlybent portion. The forward movement of the fork causes this bentportion 0 to lift the stop-pin a out of engagement with the stationarymember A. The member 13 is therefore free to move backward until the pina reaches the end of its slot b, thereby cutting off the tonsil whichremains upon the fork.

The parts are detached for cleaning by restoring to their originalposition, Fig. 1, and then unscrewing the stop-screw c removing thefork, and separating the cutting members from each other by swinging thelooking member D so as to permit its detachment from the stud d.

In the instrument shown in my patent referred to the inclined lug forcausing lateral movement of the fork during its advance was located uponone of the cutting members. By locating the lug upon a detachable memberthe lug is rendered detachable from the cutting members. The advantageof this is that detachable members having lugs of different angles ofinclination may be used with one set of cutting members, so that thefork may thereby be caused to rise gradually or very quickly in itsforward movement, according to the degree of inclination of the lug ofthe particular member used. As the lugs d 01 enter the slot If, and thusprevent free swinging of the member D on its stud (1, they serve, inaddition to theirfunction of providing a rigid and stationary supportfor the fork, as a part of the locking means whereby the cutting membersare secured together.

By the use of the adjusting-screw of the fork the height to which thefork shall rise from the cutters in its forward movement is controlled.By the use of different members D having lugs of different inclinationsin connection with the use of the adjustingscrew the movement of thefork relatively to the cutters can therefore be entirely regulated andthe particular degree and height of rise desired be obtained.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a tonsilotome, the combination of a stationarycutting member, a movable cutting member, means for locking said memberstogether, a fork guided on said members, and a detachable member securedat one end to the stationary member and arranged longitudinally of thesame, and having at its opposite end an inclined lug located to guidethe fork during its advance, substantially as set forth.

2. In a tonsilotome, the combination of a stationary cutting member, amovable cutting member, means for locking said members together, a forkguided on said members and provided with an adj usting-screw, and adetachable member having an inclined lug located to contact with saidadjusting-screw during the advance of the fork, substantially as setforth.

3. In a tonsilotome, the combination of a stationary cutting member, amovable cutting member, a fork guided on said member, and a lockingmember detachably secured at one end to said stationary member andarranged longitudinally of the same, and having at its opposite end aninclined lug engag ing the stationary cutting member and located toguide the fork during its advance,

substantially as set forth.

4. In a tonsilotome, the combination of a stationary cutting member, amovable cutting member, a fork guided on said members, and a lockingmember having an inclined lug engaging the stationary cutting member anda lug engaging said stationary member, said inclined lug being locatedto guide the fork during its advance, substantially as set forth.

5. In a tonsilotome, the combination of a stationary cutting member, amovable cutting member, a stud on the stationary member, and alockingmember engaging said stud and provided at its forward end with a lugengaging the stationary cutting member, substantially as set forth.

6. In a tonsilotome, the combination of a stationary cutting memberhaving a recess, a movable cutting member, a stud on the stationarymember, and a locking member engaging said stud and provided with a lugseated in said recess,substantially as set forth.

7. In a tonsilotome, the combination of a stationary cutting member, amovable cutting member, a fork guided 011 said members and having anadjusting-screw, a locking member provided with an inclined lug locatedin the path of said screw, and means for maintaining said lug againstmovement, substantially as set forth.

8. In a tonsilotome, the combination of a stationary cutting member, amovable cutting member having a slot, a headed stud on the stationarymember projecting through said slot, a locking member detachablyengaging said stud above the movable member, and having an inclined luglocated in the slot of the same, and a fork guided on said cuttingmembers and provided with an adjusting-screw movable into contact withsaid lug when the fork is advanced, substantially as set forth.

9. In a tonsilotome, the combination of a stationary cutting member, amovable cutting member having a slot, a headed stud on the stationarymember projecting through said slot, a slotted locking member engagingsaid stud and detachable therefrom when moved at an angle to the cuttingmembers, an inclined lug on said locking member, and

a fork guided on said cutting members and provided with an adjusting-screw located in said slot of the locking member and movable intocontact with the inclined lug when the fork is advanced, substantiallyas set forth. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention Ihave signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' GEORGE ERMOLD. i/Vitnessesz PAUL GoEPnL,

JosEPH H. NILES.

